Improvement in photographic cameras



W (it with @aten-t.

JOHN IA, s c or T, o F X1 NGTON, VfR'GrNI a. Letters Patent' No. 85,247,dated December 22, 1868.

ILll/,IIPIROVIEMENFI'.I PHOTOGRAPHI CAMERAS.

The Schedule referred to in these Lettere` Patent and part of the same,

is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference' being Vhadtothe accompanying drawings, making a part ot' this specification, inwhich- Figure 1 is aviewrepresenting a photographic instrument attachedto a balloon, and elevated above the sruface of the earth, for taking apicture of the objects' beneath.

Figures 2, 3,- 4, and 5 are views showing theconstruction of aninstrument which is adapted for taking pio-v tures of the surface of theearth from elevated points. Similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts 4in the several gures.

This invention is designed to provide a safe and convenient means bywhich photoglaphic pictures can be takenof cities, towns, roads, rivers,lines-otl sea-coastI and other objects Aupon the surface of the earth.

It consists mainly in the employment of balloons, of proper capacity,and controlled, in their ascent, by ropes from below, as a means' forelevating photographic instruments considerable' heights above thesurface ot' the earth; and in providing instruments, which are to be soelevated, with means for automatically exposing the image-plates, andcovering them again, at the proper times, so as not to require personsto ascend'with the instruments, as will be hereinafter explained..

The invention further consists in providing a photographic camera, whichis adapted for being elevated considerable heights above the eaithssmi-ace, and taking pictures thereof, with means whereby thc magneticmeridian of the place represented by the picture taken willbe indicatedat' the. instant the image-plate is exposed to the light, as will behereinafter explained.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I willdescribe one practical mode of carrying it into eifect. The balloonwhich I employ may be made in any well-known manner, and oi' a capacitywhich willaibrd an ascensive power suicient to carry up and sustainsteadily one or more instruments which are adapted for taking picturesof objects 4upon the surface of' the. earth.

Fig. l ofthe drawings represents a balloon, P, having a photographicinstrument suspended from its netting, P', by a rope, N.

This balloon is controlled by means of a rope, 0,

which may be attached to a portable windlass or reel, or which may beheldin the hands of the photographer.

The object of the rope O is to arrest the. balloon when it has attainedthe required height, and to dmw down the balloon when a picturehas beentaken. This rope may also be used for another purpose, which will behereinaiter explained.v

The body of the instrument for taking the pictures.

may be made of a cylindrical form, oi' any suitable-caf pacity. It inaybe made of wood or metal, or partly of wood and metal.

I prefer toconstruct those parts ot' the instrument which will admit ofit, of metal, for the purpose o' seeming the required` degrceioi'strength, combined with -lightness and durability.

Said cylinder contains within its 'upper vparata, an ordinaryspring-and-lever clock, which will give the time of day, and which willalso serve as a means for automatically exposing the image-plate tothe-light, and again covering the lens-tube, as willbe hereinafterexplained.

Below the clock-work is a chamber, G, which is-provided with asemicircular opening, closed by a door,

El, to which latter a circular case is aixed, which may be removed fromits cham-ber by opening this door.

The top, Y, of this casc'is suitably. marked o" into degrees,representing a compass, and provided with a magnetic needle, Y', thusforming a magnetic compass.

T he lower portion oi' this oase is adapted to serve, in a suitablemanner, for receiving the sensitized plate or image-plate Z, uponwhich'the picture is to be produced.

lSurrounding the image-plate L may be a ring, having degrees marked uponit, corresponding to and arranged opposite the degrees marked upon thecompass above it.

Above the needle Y is a circular wire netting, V, which is suspendedfrom a hook, S', by means of a cord or rod, S, which netting is droppedupon the compass-plate Y at'the instant the sensitized plate is exposedto the light, thus arresting the needle Y in the position it held whenthe picture was taken, and indica ting the magnetic meridian of theplace represented by the picture.

` Beneath the compass and image-plate is a chamber, E', and thelens-tubes D, which latter are of less diameter than the body of theinstrument, and which contain one or more lenses, D", adapted fortaking'instantaneous pictures.

The proper focal distances may be obtained by having the cylinder, towhich the leus or lenses are applied, slide within 4the cylindrical bodyofthe instrument', as shown in figs. 2 and 3, and using guide-rods landsete screws t for securing the llenses at theirequired positions.

To the lower end of the lens-tubes a disk, F, is eccentricallysecured,in a plane at right angles to the axis of these tubes; and tothe bottom side of this disk a circular plate, G, is applied, so that itwill rotate freely about its axis.

Through this plate G is an opening, G', which may be .made of a sizeequal to the diameter of the opening through the disk 'F opposite thelens D2; or, if desir-l able, the opening G may be made somewhat largerthansaid opening through the disk.

' To the axis of the'plate G a rod, m, is secured, which passes upAthrough the disk F, and is guided byan arm, m2, projecting from-thelens-tubes; and around this rod a spring, m', is coiled, so that, in theact of' turning the plate G about its axis, their springwill be woundup`.1

Thereare two small openings made through the disk F, one of which is'designed for receiving'through it the lower end of a rod, c, and theother, which is madewith a short tongue, is designed for receiving a'loop, j, which is attached to a rod, d.

The rod e is allowed to receive a vertical movement,

and is attached to one arm of a bent lever, 1/,vwhicb is pivoted, at h,near the top of the instrument, the other arm of which lever is extendedupward, opposite an oblong opening, j, through the body of theinstrument, so as to be acted upon by a lever, Ii, at-the p'roper timefor taking a picture. j j

Thelever t is pivoted tothe frame S of the clockwork, and its inner endengages with the'minute-wheel' T, as shown in iig. 4, so that, bythemovement of this wheel, the lower arm of bent lever g will be raised,andthe end of rod c drawn out of the hole through the disk F.

The rod d-passes through eyes formed upon the external surface of thebody of the instrument, and is bent, soas to enter thechamber C throughan opening, c, and extend up tothe hoolg S', at which point an eye isformedupon rod d, through' which the hook S passes,

as shown' in fig. 3.

'A spring, d', is applied to -the straight external portion ot'` the rodd, for the purpose of drawing this 'rod upward when the lower end of itsloop is released from the hooked eye made through the disk- F.

To operate with this instrument, the plate G is turned round, andthe'eud of rod e inserted through the disk E far enough to arrest thisplate, with the end of the lens-tube covered by it. The loop fof rod d.is also drawn down, and attached to the tongue-piece in a hole madethrough' the said disk F. rIhe wire netting V is then hung, by its loopS, upon the hook S', the

sensitized plate is introduced into its place, and the lens or lenses,as lthe case may be, adjusted to obtain the proper focus 'lhe instrumentthus adjusted and prepared is attached to a. balloon by the rope N, and,when everything is ready for its ascent, the lever i is set Aso that theminute-hand of the clock will, at a certain time, operate upon levers iy','and 'release the plate G.

The balloon, with the iUStrument'a'ttaChed, is allowed to ascend untilit attains the proper elevation, when it is held by the rope O until thepicture is taken.

When the plate G is released, as above set forth, the spring fm. willcause it to move around, expose the image-plate, and cover the end ofthe lens-tube again. At the same time,.a suitable projection on theupper side'of plate G will detach the loop f from its hook, and allowthe spring d' and rod d toA detach the netting V from itssuspension-hook S', thereby causing this netting to fall upon and holdthe needle Y in the position which it assumed when the pictinge wastaken.

I do not confine my invention to the precise 9onstruction and form ofthe parts herein described, for they' may be changed and modified, asmaybe found desirable.

exposing and closing the lens-tube at the proper time for taking apicture, I can', effect the same object by n applyingone or moreelectro-magnets to the instrument, communicating with a battery upon thesurface oi" the cart-h by means ot' insulated wires running `through oraround the rope O, by which the balloon is held, said magnet or magnetsbeing applied so as to 'operate upon one or more armatures applied tothe lever y', or to any equivalent device which will'rcleasc an exposingand covering-device applied to the lenses. 'By nicans oi' the magnetsand battery-connections above described, thc operator, stationed uponthe earth, can, at pleasure, cause the picture to be taken by theinstrument when it is suspended in mid-air.

`In order that the time when the picture is taken may be ascertainedbythe photographer, a ball, flag, or other'object may be attached 'tothe instrument in such manner that such object will be dropped to theearth at the instant the, image-plate is uncovered.

A It will be seen, from the above description, that I am enabled toproduce pictures of' portions ofthe surof the earth from considerableheight-sx without requiring a' person to ascend with the instruments,and, at the same time, to reveal the points of the compass of thepictures taken.

attainable lightness in the instrument, I would use a kite of sufficientpower to take up the instrument,

It will be seen also that, bycombining a suilicient number of theabove-described photographic instruments, and arranging them on a lightcircular frame, with their disk-covered lenses outward, and their topsconfined together by a ring, and by that ring sliding up and down, atpleasure, on a central rod or cylinder, marked off into degrees,` as aquadrant, and all operated at once bythe clock or electro-magnet, I cantake, in the s( rei-al instruments, the whole circle of the horizon,and'at any angle ot' inclination I may choose.

The tubes which contain the lenses ofthe instrument are .to be capableotsliding, the one within the other, so as to adjust the lenses, as -iuan ordinary telescope, to the distance oi' -objectssought to bephotographed.

Having described nld' iu'i'ention,

lVhat I claim as new, andV desire to securev by Letters Patent, is-

l. The method, substantially as heiein described, of producing picturesfrom considerable heights above the earths s'uriiice, consisting in theemployment of a balloon, or other analogous elevating-apparatus, whichhas suspended from it a photographic instrument, provided with devicesfor exposing and closing the image-plate, and which is controlled bymeans substantially as described.

2. The combination of a magnetic compass with an instrument which isadapted for producing photographic pictures trom considerable heightsabove the surface of' the earth, substantially as described.

3. The netting V, or its equivalent, applied over the compass-needle Y',so as to operate substantially as, and for the purposes described.

l 4. Providing the photographic instrument with a contrivancc which willautomatically, or at the will oi' the operator, expose the image-plate,substantially as described.

May 20, 1868.

' JN O. A. SCOTT.

Witnesses:

L. W. PAXTON,

S. C. O. TERRALL'.

Under certain conditions ofthe air, and with an'

